The Pac-12 has reportedly lost two more members. Oregon and Washington have reportedly agreed to join the Big Ten in 2024. The news came less than an hour after it was reported that Oregon was preparing to reject the Big Ten's offer. According to ESPN, the two schools will formally apply on August 4. The conference will hold an admission vote later on the same day. If all goes to plan, the Pac-12 could be down to just four members for 2024 by the end of the week.
The exodus from the prestigious west coast conference began last year when USC and UCLA announced that they would be moving to the Big Ten in 2024. They were followed by Colorado, who last month announced that they would be joining the Big 12 in 2024. Earlier this week, Arizona also announced they were in the process of finalizing their own move to the Big 12. Arizona State and Utah are expected to also join the Big 12. This may especially be the case in light of the news concerning Oregon and Washington.
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Pac-12 All But Dead With Oregon And Washington Departures
If all deals play out as expected, four teams would be left in the Pac-12. Cal, Stanford, Oregon State, and Washington State would likely be expected to find new conferences. The other alternative will be to be folded into the Mountain West. The Pac-12 would not be able to rebuild as its primary target, the Mountain West, has a $32 million exit fee for any programs that try to leave before 2025. Meanwhile, while the West Coast Conference could restock the Pac-12's basketball schools, it is not currently a football conference.
Meanwhile, the collapse of the Pac-12 moves college football ever closer to a "superconference" model. Under the predicted moves, the Big Ten will have 18 teams in 2024 while the SEC would have 16 and the Big 12 would have 15. Very quickly, the major footballing powers are being amalgamated into a handful of loaded conferences irrespective of geography. While there is still a chance that things could fall through, it appears that 2023 may be about to become the final season of the Pac-12.
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